Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-09-10
SOLDIERS NOT ALL GONE YETI

III is COuiuou, ldcfAymUoct uUich-
Gus, complaints, so often repeated, es-
pecially on Decoration Days, that we
half believe it, false as it is, that the
Grand Army ofthe Republic Is rap
idly passing away and soon will be
all gone. 1 hear the remark often
made, and sometimes suspect the
wish is father to the thought. There
are thousands of men who wish it
were true that we were nearly all
dead and out of their way. This
may sound harsh, but it is true.
| always suspect a mans loyalty
when he laments too much about
the old soldiers dying off so fast 7"
Watch this closelyat political conven-
tions, there you win see it. Some
time ago l heard it repeated over
and over at political convention, to
excuse the delegates from nominating
soldiers. 90, a new generation has
come upon the stage. The old SOL
dieEs are passing away. The coun.
try did very well by them, but now
it must look out for the younger
men," That style Of remark have
heard a thousand times, andlurking
at the bottom of it is hellish, coward.
ly, reasonable envy, jealousy and
hatred, and the whole thing is lie.
Let me be specific. The last Rev.
dictionary soldiers died in 6S,right
here, eighty.five years after the war
The last Union soldier will die in
1850. So the gentry who are so
much concerned about us, old fellows
must wait until their grand children
are past sixty years of age before
they will have the pleasure of decor.
ating the last of US. We are a tough
old set. Sorry to keep you waiting
so long; can't help it! Bear it as
well as you can. 0, soldier hater
You viii find the woods are still full
of soldiers" going to the the Big
Wheeling Reunion. Why, we will
hold soldier reunions until 1850.
They will stretch on to the crack
of DOOM" t 4si
AS they grow smaller in numbers
in the next century-and they will
not materially decrease till 1900
the interest in them will increase,
more and more, thousand fold an.
nually, to the last. . js-5..
God has turned back the dial of
our lives lovingly. Since the war we
have not died off as fast as the news
papers represent. For example, in
the 10 years | have lived in Caldwell
we have buried just five soldiers in
this region of country, out of a total
of three hundred within the limits of
our Post. sHg .
That is a straw. --e
1t is suggestive. Not two per cent.
loss in our number since the war !!
though admit myself the loss is in
the last year. OF course, the per-
centage of deaths will be much larger
in the nineteen years, and increase
in geometrical ratio toward the last.
Our average ages are about 49,
That is about the average age of the
Grand Army men who still live, and
most of them haye another As left
yet. Any comrade can test it for
himself, as have done in the follow.
ing manner: To further illustrate
this matter, today | made out list
of five hundred personal army
friends, of whom / have kept track
since the war, and of these / can
name but fifteen dead Three per
cent. less by death since the war;
And so, upon the whole, conclude
that of the 1000, 500 men discharged
at the close of the war, making due
allowance for discharged prisoners
of war and hospital invalids far gone
with mortal wounds and diseases,
and remembering that city mortality,
for many reasons. is much larger
than in the rural districts, still not
less than 100000 soldiers still live in
this blessed year of grace, 1884,
Thank God TO: that. This you will
see strIkingly illustrated at the big
Reunion. Not oil dead yet, it seems.
And remember that not less than
100000 of these to-day are not forty
two years of age-comparatively
young men, like four of the soldiers
on our Ohio Republican ticket, " in
the morn and liquid dew of YOUTH
like Governor Foraker at Al! $50.
Think of that! Only Al yet
Think of all that and lift up your
hearts in holy thanks to God, ye low
ers of the Union cause and the I'm.
Ion Army. Thank God Tor the pros.
pect that the Boys in Blue, refraining
as most Of them do from strong
drink and Iaadinu 40 ra fn1 livaC mill